all about people

Traveling is a way to see new places, learn new things and different cultures. It is a way to see different points of view and to grow up as a person. Every trip changes you a little bit, and when you come back home you’re a different person in some way.

Lately, I had the chance to go to lots of places with my family because they like traveling as much as I do. Last summer we went to Florida for two weeks and we traveled around Florida so that we could see all the different cities. We saw “small” cities, like Fort Myers and Daytona, and also big cities, like Orlando and Miami. I could see the differences between those cities, the small neighborhoods with a lot of lovely houses in Fort Myers and the big ones in Miami with a lot of mansions, the small and empty beaches and the crowded ones.

I liked everything about this trip. I had the chance to see a lot and to see how real life is in the USA. I live in Switzerland and I always watch American movies or tv series, and I’ve always dreamt about going there. So this trip was a kind of dream that became true.

This year I also went to London and Amsterdam for a few days.

I had the chance to see a lot of history and museums and they were really interesting but it was also interesting to see some characteristics of the countries.

For example, did you know that in Britain all the people always stay in line on the escalators on the right side? Because in this way the people that are in a hurry can go on the left side. I was really impressed about that! I’ve also been to Italy and to the seaside of Greece, but that was more of a relaxing holiday than a real trip.

I would really like to go far away, like in Asia or Africa to see some really different cultures.

Another way to see new places and new cultures are going abroad to learn a language.

You can learn a new language and you can actually live like a native of the place. You can change your lifestyle for a period and I think that this is really a great experience!

I study a lot of languages at school, and I like to travel in the summer and improve my additional languages. I’ve already been to Germany a couple of times to study German and I really liked that. So this summer I’m in Santa Barbara for a month to work on my English.

I think that this has been a really great experience, an experience that I will remember forever!

You live for a month away from your home and you are away from your everyday problems. You live a different life and you learn new things. When you come back home you will be an improved person, and maybe you will see things in a transformed way.

In conclusion, traveling is a way to change your personality and it is an experience that you won’t live again, and you will always have it in your heart, because it’s going to become a part of you. This experience is going to become something that you’ll never forget.

A lot of people in the United States of America don’t eat healthily, there is a huge percent of obesity in this country. But one state is different from the others : California. A lot of Californian people want to have a perfect body and for that they eat healthy food. I have also to say that being healthy is not just to eat healthy and to do sport, no, it’s almost like a philosophy of life.

Wednesday, the 21 of February, I went to State Street and to the EF school to ask people four questions. I talked with three persons : Dan, an EF student; Jessica, a native English speaker and Carolina, a women I met on State Street.

The first question: What do you eat in the morning?

In the morning, Dan eats French toast with butter and drinks water. He is an athletic person. Jessica eat cereals and Carolina likes to eat bacon with eggs and pancakes with her coffee but not every day.

The second question : Do you think that you eat healthy food (that you eat healthily)?

Dan told me that he doesn’t really cook. Jessica said yes and Carolina said no because it doesn’t interest her.

Fourth question : If you had the choice between a soda and a fruit juice, what would you choose?

Dan and Jessica would choose the fruit juice and Carolina told me that for her, it depends of the time of the day.

• With this survey, I can say that Dan is an athletic teenager who isn’t really interested to have a healthy lifestyle but pays attention to what he eats. Jessica may be a healthy person who likes to cook healthy recipes and Carolina isn’t really interested to be a healthy person.

A lot of people in the United States of America don’t eat healthily, there is a huge percent of obesity in this country. But one state is different from the others : California. A lot of Californian people want to have a perfect body and for that they eat healthy food. I have also to say that being healthy is not just to eat healthy and to do sport, no, it’s almost like a philosophy of life.

Wednesday, the 21 of February, I went to State Street and to the EF school to ask people four questions. I talked with three persons : Dan, an EF student; Jessica, a native English speaker and Carolina, a women I met on State Street.

The first question: What do you eat in the morning?

In the morning, Dan eats French toast with butter and drinks water. He is an athletic person. Jessica eat cereals and Carolina likes to eat bacon with eggs and pancakes with her coffee but not every day.

The second question : Do you think that you eat healthy food (that you eat healthily)?

Dan told me that he doesn’t really cook. Jessica said yes and Carolina said no because it doesn’t interest her.

Fourth question : If you had the choice between a soda and a fruit juice, what would you choose?

Dan and Jessica would choose the fruit juice and Carolina told me that for her, it depends of the time of the day.

• With this survey, I can say that Dan is an athletic teenager who isn’t really interested to have a healthy lifestyle but pays attention to what he eats. Jessica may be a healthy person who likes to cook healthy recipes and Carolina isn’t really interested to be a healthy person.

The first thing that you think about Las Vegas is the city of the million lights, the gambling capital of the world, luxury hotels, show girls and having fun. It is a city full of glamour and extravagant individuals. The image created by films like “Hangover” or “What Happens in Vegas” is definitely true!

But the city has two faces. There exists another side of that extreme-loving city, a side away from all that glitter, that is also true. What we don’t think or don’t want to think about is that an estimated 9,432 homeless people live in Las Vegas, 300-400 in makeshift homes of the colorlessness and darkness of the long flood tunnels. Do they choose this life or do they have no control?But why should any human being want a life of poverty, the cold, filth, loneliness and lack of comfort?

Most of them got into that situation because of drug abuse, unemployment and run ins with the law. But the opinion of a lot of people working in charity organizations is that, if you want to get out of this dire situation, you can make it. There are a lot of organisations that try to give them a hand out of the tunnels into a new life. They try to give them shelter, medical help, social assistance…. in short, a second chance in life. So why don’t they want to change their situations?

Well, perhaps it takes too much effort or their self-confidence has shrunk to a minimum. Lots of them might have no perspective, no hope. Some of them also want to live that life to escape from the social obligations. They want to live a life where they don’t have to wake up very early, go to work, behave like they have to behave to be a member of our society. They don’t want to have to fit into a pattern.

Some even say that they have some privacy, and strangely, a sense of security. Most of them also say that the live in the tunnel system isn’t as bad as they expected. People sometimes get so comfortable down there, that they even forget they’re living in a flood channel. They receive food stamps so they have enough to eat and they don’t have to pay a rent, which is very expensive in Las Vegas.

So is it a self-built prison or a kind of freedom? People nowadays work so hard for a future in which they don’t have to work and can do whatever they want to do during the day…Can you compare that freedom? I don’t know! Our contribution to make those lives a bit brighter might be to make them feel more accepted and treat them in a respectful manner,not like a leper. Most people avert their view when they pass by a homeless person. Why do they do that? Why do you do that? Give them a smile! Make eye contact! Talk to them! It can be so easy!

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The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, a city of Greece. Competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic, but also combat sports, such as battle and the pankration, horse and chariot racing events. It has been generally written that during the Games, all conflicts with the participating city-states were suspended until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or accord. This idea is a modern illusion because the Greeks never suspended their wars

The modern Olympic Games (French: Jeux olympiques) are best international sporting events presenting summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s principal sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are adhered every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by developing every four years but two years apart.

For many years people had to go through difficulties and had to struggle with doing certain tasks or activities by their own, but now they can have a support dog.

Emotional support dogs are dogs that provide comfort and support in forms of affection and companionship for an individual suffering from various mental and emotional conditions. An emotional support dog is not required to perform any specific tasks for a disability like service dogs are. They are meant only for emotional stability and unconditional love.

There are 2 different types of support dogs:

One kind is the emotional support dog which can assist with various kinds of mental and emotional conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder/mood disorder, panic attacks, fear/phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts/tendencies.

The Therapy dog which provides affection and comforts to individuals in hospitals and nursing homes. It is also used, as you can guess, for therapies so the clients have certain lessons together with these dogs to cure different types of diseases.

The second one is the service dog that is helpful for people which are limited by their disabilities so they function as an assistant for performing a normal life.

Have you thought of making your dog a service, therapy or emotional dog?

Some people say that the dog is the humans’ best friend. Whether or not this is true, it is certainly a fact that dogs can provide a lot of help and companionship for those with disabilities. If you have been wondering how to make your dog a service dog, an emotional support dog, or a therapy dog, there a lot of companies like “USA Service Dogs” that help you to train your dog to these kind of assistant.

The price range for a service dog can be anywhere from $3,000 to train it personally to as much as $35,000 if you use a popular and expensive organization.

It generally takes 1–2 years to train a service dog. The dog must be trained to mitigate your disability and must behave appropriately in public to avoid being removed. This means there are two main facets of service dog training: first of all public access behaviors and secondly disability-related work and tasks.

Rescue Dogs:

There is also another type of support dog. It is used for environmental catastrophes like the heavy mud slides in Montecito the previous month.

For this disaster the firefighters use highly trained search dogs, most of them were schooled by the “National Disaster Search Dog Foundation”, located in Santa Paula.

It’s a private non-profit organization where the dogs are trained for about 8-10 months. Afterwards they can tell you if a body is either still alive or dead. Furthermore, they can differ between a live body and fresh clothes. The dogs which are only trained to detect dead bodies are called “cadaver dogs” or “HR” which stands for human remains dogs.

You probably never know the real meaning of “enjoying yourself” before experiencing the electro music festival “Tomorrowland.” Belgium sure is a small country, but definitely full of resources, and as far as the fun is concerned, Belgian people know what they are talking about. Everything is made for you to spend a really good time during the four days and the festival takes place in July. So if you are lucky, the weather can be really good in Belgium these days.

What is it?

Tomorrowland is one of the biggest festivals in the world. With over 180,000 people, every country is represented in this festival. This is the real thing about it, you feel like you’re taking part in something bigger. With over 12 stages, the festival is open from Friday until Sunday and from noon until 1 am. So, you will definitely never get bored. DJs from all around the world come to Belgium to meet an eclectic public, for example : David Guetta, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Avicii or Tiesto for the most famous, but the festival welcomes also less famous DJs, like the young Henri PFR well known in Belgium.

“Yesterday is history, Today is a gift, Tomorrow is a Mystery”, this is the slogan of the famous electro music festival Tomorrowland and it’s a pretty good summary of the state of mind of the people coming to this festival : Just enjoy the moment.

Why do you absolutely have to go there?

Definitely to have fun and enjoy some time with your friends, but, the best of all, is that you will have so many crazy stories to tell. Because anything can happen at Tomorrowland, everything is possible. When I was at the Tomorrowland festival for the first time, I was so excited to experience it because it’s a really big event in my country, Belgium. So many people come from all over the world just to appreciate the music. It was so crazy to meet people from different cultures. I met a Brazilian guy and when I asked him “Are you enjoying the festival?” He just answered “I’m having the best time of my life “. That’s why every fan of music should experience this festival because anybody on earth can have fun there.

Furthermore, most people camp during the five days just outside the festival area. Even there, there’s a lot of ways to enjoy yourself because the party keeps going after the festival. The facilities are also great. There’re shops, a supermarket, a radio station, a hairdresser and so many places to eat food from different countries. This is the perfect spot to meet new friends to enjoy the festival with.

The only thing wrong with Tomorrowland is that the tickets are sold out in 30 minutes so you have to be very lucky to get the chance to go in the Festival. I’ve been there twice but only the years where there were two weekends instead of one so obviously you had more chance to go. But never stop trying to go, I swear, it worths the wait.

Finally, I will share with you some of my best memories at the festival.

Oktoberfest is the world largest and most popular folk festival in the world. A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. It is located in Munich, in Germany. Every year over 6 million people from all over the world come to Munich to be a part of it.

One of the most popular traditions is the first draft from a freshly tapped cask of beer. This tradition signals the start of Oktoberfest.

On one day you can see the splendid carriages of the Munich breweries. Every spectacular carriage is different and unique.

It’s a 16-18 days folk festival. If you are over 18 years old you should visit the big tents. There you can listen to German folk music, drink the traditional beer and eat the traditional food. Warning: The beer is really expensive, it costs approximately $12.

There are 14 big and 15 small tents. In all these tents there is space for over 100,000 people. Every year all tents are completely full.

To wear traditional German clothes is a fun part for all visitors. Women where a ‘Dirndl’, which is like a dress, and men wear leather trousers.

This folk festival is not only a fun event for adults. In the outdoor area there is a huge range of fun activities for young people so it’s not necessary to visit a tent. You can have a lot of fun just being outside.

My name is Kira. I’m from Germany. I have lived there since I was born for 19 years. I’m really into German food because it’s so delicious and multifunctional. So I think everyone should know something about our really good food.

Pretzel

In German you don’t say “Pretzel” you say “Bretzel” with a long “e”.

A Pretzel is a type of baked bread product made from dough most commonly shaped into a twisted knot. It also has salt on it. Salt is an important part of the Pretzel because with salt it tastes way better than without.

2.Käsespätzle

Käsespätzle is my favorite food here in Germany. Käsespätzle are a kind of soft egg noodle scalloped with cheese. You also put fried onions on it. This tastes so good!

For really good flavor you have to make the noodles by hand. It’s really easy.

3. Sauerkraut

“Sauerkraut is finely cut cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage.” This is the definition of Sauerkraut from Wikipedia.

But I have to say that Sauerkraut isn’t really good food for everybody. To be honest I don’t really like it because I just don’t like the taste of it. But some people really love it. So you have to choose for yourself!

4. Weisswurst

Weisswurst is typical Bavarian food. In the part of Germany where I live (Hessen), it’s not as common to eat Weisswurst like it is in Bavaria. But when I go to Munich (it’s the capital of Bavaria) I always eat it because it’s soo good!

I would say Weisswurst is similar to the normal Bratwurst (sausage in English) because the form is the nearly the same, but it looks different. In the image below you can see how a sausage looks if you have never seen one before:

Weisswuerste are usually eaten as a mid-morning snack. They are made fresh every morning. It has a really mild taste. That’s why it’s also really popular for children.

5.Fleischkäse

The next one is “Fleischkäse”. You can also say “Leberkäse”. It consists of corned beef, pork and bacon and is made by grinding the ingredients very finely and then baking it as a loaf in a bread pan until it has a crunchy brown crust. You can also eat it with bread. I always eat it like this at school. It’s way better!

6. Schnitzel

Schnitzel is also a really typical food in Germany. Even though it’s originally from Austria (Wiener Schnitzel) it’s still popular in Germany. In every part of Germany!

German people often eat this with fries or with mashed potatoes. Some people eat Schnitzel without any dip. Some eat it with ketchup. It depends on your taste.

You can also eat your Schnitzel with different kind of sauces like cream sauce (then it’s called Rahmschnitzel) or mushroom sauce (then it’s called Jaegerschnitzel) and so on. There are many different options.

7. Schweinshaxe

A “Schweinshaxe” is a roasted ham hock. “The ham hock is the end of the pig’s leg, just above the ankle and below the meaty ham portion”.

It is especially popular in Bavaria! In my part of Germany it’s called “Eisbein”.
You can eat Schweinshaxe with “Knödel” or Sauerkraut.
Here you can see Knödel: